Pages

Friday, 25 June 2010

Time for Stillness.. Time for Silence

Date: 21st June - 3rd July 2010

Venue: Artspace Galleries, 18 Maddox Street, London W1S 1PL

Artspace Galleries London is proud to present, Time for Stillness.. Time for Silence, an exhibition by Soon Yul Kang. The exhibition showcases a beautiful selection of hand woven tapestries inspired by the concepts of Zen - simplicity, stillness and emptiness.

Soon Yul Kang is originally from Seoul, South Korea. She studied textile arts in Korea, Japan and at West Dean College in UK. She received her MA at Goldsmiths College, University of London and has been a residentartist in Kew Studio in Richmond since 1998. She now returns to Korea each year to lecture at Ewha Womans University. Soon Yul Kang specialises in hand woven tapestries but she also creates collages and mixed media works. She uses traditional tapestry weaving technique but expressed in a contemporary way. A tapestry of hers is on permanent display at West Middlesex University Hospital.

All of Soon Yul Kang’s tapestries have been created by hands using traditional tapestry weaving techniques, by the use of very subtle mix of coloured wool threads. She creates smooth gradation by using subtly blended colour threads just as a painter uses a colour palette.

“My works have been concerned with contemplation, healing and time. The inspiration for my tapestries comes mostly from nature, from various serene landscapes. I have also been inspired by Zen concepts such as simplicity, stillness and emptiness. I am still developing these ideas in my tapestries with tranquil landscapesthat involve subtle changes in colour and light that reflect changes in perspective and mood. They do not represent an actual scene but are more like semi-abstract representations. Subtlety of woven colour is more important than actual depiction of a scene. I am exploring how nature can effect human emotion and how the image may be used in meditation and healing.”